Title

Interviewee

Interviewer

Richard Baquera

Project

Bracero Oral History Project

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee

Julius Lowenberg was born in El Paso, Texas, on April 15, 1934; he graduated from Cathedral High School; sometime later, he began working for the Public Health Office at the Stanton Bridge in El Paso, and at Rio Vista, a bracero processing center in Socorro, Texas; after several years with the Public Health Office, he went back to school and received his degree from Texas Western.

Summary of Interview

Mr. Lowenberg briefly describes his family; after graduating from high school, he worked for the South Pacific Railroad as a machinist apprentice; he later came to work for the Public Health Office at the Stanton Bridge in El Paso, and at Rio Vista, a bracero processing center in Socorro, Texas; despite the fact that he had little training, his primary duties involved taking x-rays of the braceros as they were coming into the United States; he describes what he did for each location, what a typical work day was like, and the medical examinations and the delousing process the braceros endured; in addition, he briefly mentions that he himself witnessed prostitution at Rio Vista; Mr. Lowenberg goes on to talk about his brother-in-law who owned a farm and often hired braceros; he describes what he saw there and makes general observations about the treatment of braceros